Welcome to Ghana, a land where the cuisine is as diverse and vibrant as its culture and landscape. Ghanaian food is renowned for its unique flavors, achieved through the skillful use of herbs, spices, and fresh ingredients. While Ghanaians with desk jobs might grab a coffee and some bread on the way out the door, their compatriots with more physically strenuous jobs take care to fortify themselves with a substantial morning meal.
Let's embark on a delicious journey through some of the most traditional and beloved breakfast dishes in Ghana. These meals are not only packed with flavor but also offer a glimpse into the country's rich culinary heritage.
Ghanaian cuisine refers to the typical meals of the Ghanaian people. The main dishes of Ghanaian cuisine are centered around starchy staple foods, accompanied by either a sauce or soup and a source of protein. The primary ingredients for the vast majority of soups and stews are tomatoes, hot peppers, onions, and some local species.
Top Traditional Breakfasts in Ghana
1. Waakye: A Flavorful Rice and Beans Combination
“Waakye” is one of Ghana’s delightful meals. Although considered a heavy meal, it is loved by many as a breakfast meal which can keep you full for a long time, helping you save money from having to buy lunch again in the afternoon. Waakye, pronounced as “waachey”, is a dish high in carbohydrate and protein content. It is a popular Ghanaian dish for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The name waakye comes from the Hausa phrase 'shinkafa da wake' which translates as rice and beans.
It is prepared with a selective combination of black-eyed beans and rice cooked together with sorghum leaves which adds to its beautiful reddish color and spectacular taste. Cooking the dish with sorghum leaves gives it the distinctive red hue to match the deep, smoky flavor. This popular morning dish is served with tomato gravy and shito (black pepper sauce). Additional side dishes for this meal can include plantains, spaghetti, gari (cassava flakes), salad and any protein of your choice. It is a mixture of red or black-eyed beans and rice, accompanied by salad, boiled egg, fried plantain, spaghetti, fish or meat (or both) and the local hot pepper sauce “shito”.
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It also features a controversial ingredient: Did you know this dish, incorporates ghanaian leather? Yes!You can also find more about the uses of Wele, a preparation of cow hide used in many dishes in Ghana and West Africa.The waakye is served in a very sustainable way. It is wrapped inside banana leaves (only if they would avoid putting it inside a plastic bag). A very affordable dish and also a very good option for vegetarians who want to try out a local dish, as it can be eaten with all the ingredients mentioned previously, taking out the meat.
Tip from a local: I have found that waakye sold by Muslims and men usually is the best. Every neighborhood has a favorite waakye vendor.
2. Hausa Koko: A Spicy Millet Porridge
How To Make Hausa Koko (Ghana's Spiced Millet Porridge) From Scratch
This popular Ghanaian breakfast originates from the Hausa tribe in Nigeria, as its name suggests. Arguably the most commonly eaten breakfast in the country, the spicy millet porridge, commonly known as Hausa kooko is consumed by all classes of the citizenry. It is called “Hausa” because it is believed that it was first made by the hausas (ethnic group originated from northwestern Nigeria and adjacent southern Niger, mostly found in Northern Ghana as well). Early in the morning, you can find many sellers along the street. These are usually Muslim women from the North.
It looks like a thick soup which is made from millet and has a few added local spices to it. Sugar, milk and peanuts are also added, giving it a sweeter taste. This popular Ghanaian breakfast originates from the Hausa tribe in Nigeria, as its name suggests. It is made with fermented millet which is ground together with ginger, cloves, black pepper and dried chili pepper, forming a unique blend of flavor and spice. Millet porridge is served with sugar, milk and groundnuts if you want that extra kick. This popular delicacy is preferably eaten with well seasoned “kose” (fried beans cake). You can also have this porridge with “puff puff “ (African doughnut).
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3. Koko with Bofroat: Corn Dough Porridge with Ghanaian Doughnuts
Mostly found around the coastal areas of Ghana, “koko’’ is mainly a paste made by boiling a mixture of corn dough and water. The corn dough is allowed to boil in water for a while and is stirred till a uniform paste is formed. Plain fufu is naturally cholesterol free, which makes it a good complement to balance out a rich, meaty stew or soup, and the fiber- and potassium-rich dish also aids in digestion.
To give it a great taste, sugar and milk are added to it. The koko is accompanied by what is known as a “bofroat”. The bofroat is the equivalent of a Ghanaian donut, which are deep fried and enjoyed with koko or just as a street snack. A popular street food worth looking for (it won't be hard to find) is bofrot - small, round, fried yeasted doughnuts. Variations of this snack are common across West Africa and go by a number of names - the Nigerian version of this doughnut is affectionately known as puff-puff. To make the doughnuts, yeast is mixed into a thick batter of flour, sugar, butter, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon and allowed to rise until the batter is doubled in size and bubbly. Balls of the batter are dropped into hot oil and fried until golden brown.
4. Rice Water: A Simple and Quick Porridge
Breakfast in Ghana cannot be complete without Rice Water. Just as the name implies, rice water is simply rice boiled with a lot of water until it softens into a soluble paste (very similar to porridge). It is not uncommon to see broken or wholesome rice being blended and cooked as porridge. Popularly referred to as rice water, it is widely eaten in several parts of the country by all classes of people.
Sugar and milk are also added to it, to give it more taste. It can also be accompanied by bread or biscuits. It is said that this breakfast option is for busy people because it is very easy and fast to cook (as well as to eat).
5. Tom Brown: Roasted Corn Porridge
Tom Brown is another popular porridge dish made from roasted corn. Oatmeal is common breakfast food among the working class due to its high protein and fibre content. The local name tom brown is culled from its look after the various combinations are milled into powder. The roasted corn is grinded and prepared into a very thick paste mixed with milk and sugar to taste.
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This is another dish which is high in carbohydrates, also accompanied by either biscuits or bread. Very similar to Hausa Koko.
6. Tea/Milo/Coffee with Bread: A Convenient Option
This may be the most popular “on-the-go” breakfast option. Actually, not only a breakfast option but also consumed as a snack or even as dinner. Milo is the equivalent to “Cola Cao” but much more sugary (despite that, Ghanaians still add sugar to it). Coffee in Ghana is actually the less consumed drink. Coffee drinkers may be opposed to calling it “coffee” as it is sold in the Nescafe instant coffee packs. Your choice of drink is accompanied by the Ghanaian white/sugar bread (like a brioche in France) and you can add margarine to it or just have it on its own. The dinner option would be Milo, accompanied by toasted bread with omelette.
Other Notable Ghanaian Breakfast Options
Besides the main dishes, here are some other options you might encounter for breakfast in Ghana:
- Kenkey: Made from cooked milled fermented corn molded into balls. The perfect accoutrement for this dish is fried fish, chicken or pork with gravy and or grounded pepper (either red or black).
- Oatmeal: A common breakfast food among the working class due to its high protein and fibre content.
Dietary Considerations
As we have seen in these six breakfast options, Ghanaians tend to mostly always add sugar to their drinks and breakfast dishes and the milk they use tends to be powdered milk or condensed milk. They are all heavy on carbohydrate dishes. Nonetheless, they are still very nutritious and can be adopted to any dietary requirements. All breakfast dishes mentioned below are also suitable even if you only enjoy vegetarian dishes. You can even order some for takeaway.
Discover Ghana Through Its Food
Ghanaian cuisine is amazing and you will be really missing out if you don't give yourself a chance to try some when you are in the country. All these dishes are highly recommended, but you don't have to try everything while you are visiting. Select the dishes you are most looking forward to trying and start with those. Some of the dishes might contain ingredients you are allergic to, so ask a local or your local tour guide to verify such ingredients.
Explore, have fun and discover the country through its food. You can even arrange a custom Ghana tour with us for a foodie-focused adventure. Let me know which of these dishes you would like to try out or have already tried and what your experience was. And if you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
Ghanaian food - like the culture and landscape of the country itself - is more varied and diverse than you may think. While the coastal West African nation isn't huge, it boasts a range of climates and ecosystems, from tropical forests to coastal savannah and deserts. A few signature features, however, seem to define Ghana's cuisine across regions. Hearty stews and soups are popular everywhere and all are vibrantly seasoned. Flavorings such as ginger, onions, and native spices such as calabash nutmeg and alligator pepper are generously used, as are vegetables such as bell peppers, greens, tomatoes, and okra. Legumes such as black-eyed peas are also staples and appear in a variety of dishes. And no meal would be complete without a hearty starch to soak up all the flavorful sauce or broth - either rice or swallows, which are hearty, mild mashes of cassava, rice, corn, or a mixture of these.
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